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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Guest Post and Giveaway: The White Devil of Dublin by P.M. Terrell

Description:

When Detective Ryan O’Clery receives a call from a noted historian claiming to have uncovered information about his Irish ancestors, he is certain she is mistaken. But when he arrives for their meeting, he finds the historian murdered and her computer stolen. His investigation will lead him to 12th Century Ireland, to a time of the Viking invasion and conquest, to an albino known as The White Devil of Dublin, and to a shocking secret his family kept hidden for more than eight hundred years. He will also come face-to-face with a present-day albino serial killer, intent on finishing the job he started.

GUEST POST

I love time travel and slipstream books and my favorites are those that take place in Ireland or Scotland. I have always found history fascinating, and you could take any historical event and know without doubt there is a love story in there somewhere; there is intrigue, there is suspense, and someone’s life has been altered because of it.

My father is his generation’s keeper of the historical records of our ancestors, and my brothers are prepared to take over that role someday. In 2007, my most popular book was published, entitled Songbirds are Free, which is the true story of our ancestor, Mary Neely, and her capture by Shawnee warriors. Her family had come from Ireland, drawn to America by the promise of gold-paved streets and fortunes for the taking. Unfortunately, many of my ancestors were killed and captured by Indians, and their road was paved with challenges.

My own background is in computer crimes and computer intelligence. Having worked with federal agencies like the CIA and Secret Service as well as local law enforcement agencies, I wanted to take that knowledge and apply it to my writing. It seemed a natural fit to create an Irish-born detective working in the United States who was responsible for keeping his family history, and weave that historical information into his cases. My father, by the way, is also a retired FBI Agent, and he serves as a technical advisor on criminal investigations.

Rather than use time travel in The White Devil of Dublin, I have Ryan O’Clery piecing together evidence after a noted historian dies; she claimed to have information about his ancestors and as more bodies pile up, he realizes that the clues are in his family’s historical records and in missing information that the historian uncovered.

I have woven scenes from 12th century Dublin throughout the book. The language was quite a bit different then, as you can imagine, but I have written conversations in a way that is easier for present-day readers to follow. The style is very different when I take my mind back to the distant past, and I wrote almost the entire story of Maeve and Baldr, the man called The White Devil (or Hvitr Bard) before I began writing the present-day investigation with Ryan O’Clery.

As I wrote Ryan’s story and investigation, I began weaving pieces of 12th century Dublin throughout, at places where they fit appropriately, and then fleshing out both sides of the story so they were seamless.

Though it might be easy to conclude that the book is a detective work, it is really the story of the first albino connected to Ryan O’Clery and his ancestors, of a great love affair between the albino and Maeve Kelly, and of the relationship to the present-day love affair between Ryan and his new wife, Cait. It answers the questions of why Ryan’s ancestors had been targeted over the centuries by a series of albino killers, and it finally gives him the chance to end the cycle once and for all.

p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 20 books. The first book in the Ryan O’Clery Mysteries Series, The Tempest Murders, was a 2013 USA Best Book Awards Finalist and a 2014 International Book Awards Nominee. Vicki’s Key was both a 2012 USA Best Book Awards and 2012 International Book Awards Finalist. And River Passage was the winner of the 2010 Best Drama Award. The Pendulum Files is a 2014 Best Cover Design Nominee.

Prior to writing full-time, p.m.terrell founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her specialties are computer crime and computer intelligence, and her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense. Computer technology plays a major role in many of her suspense/thrillers. She is the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation and the founder of the annual Book ‘Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair. She is also the Vice President of the Robeson County Arts Council and is on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library.

6 comments:

Thank you for hosting me here today. I'll be checking back in later and answering any questions anyone might have for me. Right now the eBook is priced at just $2.99 but it will go to its regular price of $6.99 in a few days.

I can't wait to read this book. It sounds very good and with me having both Irish and Viking blood running through my gains I think it a must read for me. Thank you for the book introduction and the giveaway! It is a beautiful keychain I hope I win.

Thank you, everyone, for dropping by and leaving a comment. Strawberry Rose and Debby, I love that you love all that is Celtic and Viking. The combination is fascinating to me. My own roots are Irish and on my father's side, they've traced us back to the Vikings as well, so writing these books feel like I am bringing back of my own family's history into the backdrop. Aurelia and Kai, thanks for leaving comments also - I hope you'll give the book a try. And best of luck to everyone on winning that beautiful Celtic jewelry!